Miguel Olivo looked at the lineup card in the Marlins’ clubhouse before Friday’s game and saw the same thing again – his name was not among the starters.

Olivo, a veteran catcher for 12 seasons, had been stewing for the last few weeks about his lack of playing time.

Olivo hadn’t made a start behind the plate since May 12. His playing time continued to diminish when catcher Jeff Mathis came off the disabled list on May 14.

But on Friday, he could take it no more.
He met during batting practice with manager Mike Redmond in the clubhouse, then came back out with his teammates and took swings on the field.

But when the National Anthem was playing just minutes before the start of the game, he was nowhere in the dugout with the rest of the team. Someone on the Marlins ran into the clubhouse and saw Olivo in street clothes about to leave Marlins Park.

A plea was made for Olivo to stick around until someone from the front office could talk to him, but his mind was made up.

His abrupt departure angered his teammates and coaches – none of whom would talk on the record about Olivo — but the Marlins went out and beat the Cardinals, 5-4, despite having a short bench.

Aside from Olivo leaving, the Marlins already were without both first baseman Logan Morrison – a pre-game scratch because of a tight back – and third baseman Placido Polanco (back tightness).

“We really got put in a tough spot. It’s definitely not a situation we want to ever be in,” Redmond said today, addressing Olivo’s situation to reporters.

Olivo wanted to play, but now he will linger on the Marlins’ restricted list, which means he will not receive pay but is still under the club’s control.

That means Olivo forfeits roughly half of the $800,000 salary from his one-year contract. There’s a chance Miami tries to trade him.

“Miguel Olivo left the team after batting practice yesterday without permission. So he won’t be around,” Redmond said.

Asked if he knew why Olivo left, Redmond replied: “You’d have to ask him that. I’m assuming it would have something to do with his playing time, which obviously has been diminished since Mathis came back.”

Redmond acknowledged that Olivo’s abrupt departure threw the team for a loop, even if it didn’t affect their performance on the field.

“I’ve never been involved in something like that, to have somebody just leave after batting practice. I think everyone was kind of in shock,” Redmond said.

“I know it wasn’t an ideal situation for him not getting to play a lot, but at the same time, too, the team relies on you and we all rely on you. Had that happened after the game it probably would have been a different situation.

“But when you do it before the game and put your team in a tough spot, that’s tough. It really tough on your teammates and your coaches.

“You’d have to ask him really why he chose that time to do it.”

Olivo – hitting .203 with 4 homers and 9 RBI — could not be reached. He signed with the Marlins on March 29 as insurance because Mathis broke his collarbone earlier in the spring.

Olivo a month ago started taking infield drills at first base, but he stopped doing that in recent weeks – against the team’s wishes – because he wasn’t getting playing time at first base, either.

The Marlins called up outfielder Jordan Brown to take Olivo’s roster spot.